[Letter to the Editor] Response to Dr Fried & Dr Kievit, and Dr Malhi et al.

We thank Dr. Fried & Dr. Kievit, and Dr. Malhi and colleagues for their insightful comments. Here we further clarify the design and outcome of our meta-analysis of subcortical volume differences between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and controls. Fried and Kievit and Malhi et al. commend the collaborative achievement of the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) MDD consortium in analyzing sample sizes unprecedented in neuroimaging of depression. They also raise some concerns and provide additional interpretations of our results. Malhi et al. suggest that we should better exploit this vast data set to study the heterogeneity of MDD. MDD is a heterogeneous disorder, and the scope and extent of brain alterations depends on specific clinical characteristics of the sample studied...